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We arrived at Oscars after the long drive from Apollo Bay and received a delightful welcome. Tea and biscuits were offered on the verandah where we sat and enjoyed the view over the river and moorings. The house is stylishly furnished with a guest sitting room and dining room on the ground floor, plus the aforementioned verandah. When we visited, the rooms were filled with vases of highly scented roses from the garden. Our bedroom overlooked the river, was comfortable, quiet and had a reasonably large shower-room. Our hostess was extremely helpful with recommendations for an evening meal in Port Fairy and made the reservation on our behalf. She also gave us directions for a lovely walk a long the beach and back via the river. Breakfast was delicious and plentiful. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

However, I do agree that the 'For Sale' sign was off-putting and the owner would do well to adopt a more discreet approach. In addition, the establishment is a Bed and Breakfast, not a boutique hotel, which might explain why guests expectations are not met when it comes to check-in times.

Room Tip: We enjoyed our 'River Front' room on the 1st floor.

Stayed: November 2012, traveled as a couple

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Ask Grogsblossom about Oscars Waterfront Boutique Hotel

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

We arrived after a 170km drive from Apollo Bay at around 12.45. Port Fairy is a long way from the Great Ocean Road and I was beginning to question why we were making the diversion. However, the reviews on Trip Advisor had been glowing and as we drove through the main street it seemed that Port Fairy was a pleasant, albeit one horse sort of town.

We arrived at Oscar's. The first thing I saw was a "for sale" sign. We parked up front (no driveway) and walked through a courtyard to the front door. Tried to open it. No luck. It was locked. Rang the bell. No answer. Saw a small notice with a phone number on it. Called it. It was answered by the on-site manager who told us without any welcoming greeting whatsoever that our room was not ready as check-in was at 2.30. Ok that's fine, I said. Could we just bring in our bags and leave them in reception? No, check-in is at 2.30. Could we just come in and rest a bit in the public areas until 2.30? No, check-in is at 2.30. What do you suggest we do then, I asked. Go look round Port Fairy until 2.30 came the reply and that was it. I couldn't believe what had just happened and if we had had somewhere else to go we would have walked away right then.

So we walked round Port Fairy which was a sweet place consisting of 2 roads with souvenir and craft shops if you like that sort of thing (I don't) and a few restaurants. Most of the restaurants closed at 6pm, just so you know.

Eventually we were allowed into the hotel, given a brief tour of the lounge and dining area, told to clear up any mess we might make whilst making a cup of tea or coffee and shown our room. She made us feel like a couple of naughty children.

We had paid extra for a river view. The room she showed us had two windows, one overlooking the river and one to the side. Was there another room? Yes, there was but it had a smaller bathroom. Ok, no problem we thought, we'd paid for the view not the bathroom so we took that one. It had 3 windows, 2 to the river, 1 to the side. You know I said that the size of the bathroom didn't really matter? Well, it did. I have never seen a bathroom so small. It was approx 2.5m x 90cm! Picture a wardrobe with a shower to the left, then a minute basin in the middle, literally the sort of basin you might have in a very small downstairs cloakroom/toilet in your home and a toilet to the right. The shower door handle was missing. She told us that the handyman had not got around to fixing that yet.

She left us to settle in and informed us she'd be gone by late afternoon. We went for a walk, saw everything we had previously seen whilst we'd been waiting to be allowed in and then took a walk round Griffiths Island hoping to see some wildlife. Heard a few birds, saw a few flies but that was about it.

After that we had dinner in a restaurant that was open past 6pm and prepared for bed. We had the worst night's sleep at Oscar's. This place was not built to be a hotel/b & b. There is no soundproofing whatsoever. The sash windows rattled in the window constantly. We closed ours to stop the noise but unfortunately other guests did not. As a consequence of this we had to listen to windows rattling all night long and had no rest whatsoever. We got up in the morning just as tired as the night before.

A word on the gourmet breakfast and the homemade granola. The granola has been mixed with some sort of caramelised syrup and left to harden. Mine tasted of burnt sugar. My husband's pancakes were tasteless and he left them.

Oscar's seems to believe its own hype. How it is rated Number 1 on TA I do not know. It is overpriced for what is on offer. The manager needs re-training in customer service. She seems to think she's doing you a favour just be being there at all. It is no wonder this place is up for sale. I would not recommend it.

Room Tip: Choose somewhere else.

Stayed: November 2012, traveled as a couple

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Ask Trg43 about Oscars Waterfront Boutique Hotel

3 Thank Trg43

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

A perfect place to stay, a warm welcome and beautiful setting on the waterfront in Port Fairy. Oscars really lived up to our expectations and made us wish we were staying longer than the one night we enjoyed as we took in the sights of the Great Ocean Road. We stayed in the Courtyard Suite, which whilst not in the main house, was a lovely comfortable room with adjoining lounge - a delight! The breakfast was incredible! Port Fairy itself has retained a real sense of character and is a quaint and unusual place to visit - full of charm. Much the same can be said of Oscars, which we can thoroughly recommend!

Stayed: November 2012, traveled as a couple

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Ask JnL100 about Oscars Waterfront Boutique Hotel

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Nothing wrong with Oscars but considering the rate charged it doesn't really come up to the mark. The fact that there are "For Sale" signs outside the front and back door doesnt add to the experience. The room we had was nice without being exceptional and there were no little extra touches that you would expect from a property charging these rates. The downstairs of the property is spacious but deserted and would convert to a wonderful "restaurant with rooms". Glad we only stayed just the one night rather than the two originally planned. Would I return? Would depend on the alternatives but to be honest probably not.

Room Tip: Our room was overlooking the river, although no bath had a good shower and pleasant view.

Stayed: November 2012, traveled as a couple

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Ask MG_Eclipse_boy about Oscars Waterfront Boutique Hotel

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Oscars was a magnificent private house before it was converted to a hotel. All the rooms are absolutely beautiful. Our bedroom overlooked the river. It was beautifully furnished and the bed was extremely comfortable with lovely cotton sheets.. However the bathroom was tiny. It was only a little wider than the width of the toilet. You have to squeeze past a minute sink to get in and there was a small shower at the other end. A strange design for such a huge house but it was built like that. The manager (Libby) looked after us very well. The hotel does not do evening meals. Libby gave us the menus from 3 restaurants in the town and offered to book. We decided instead to explore the town and choose some place ourselves. None of the restaurants in town looked inspiring. We chose the Turkish which was one of the ones recommended by Oscars. The meal was nothing special. In fact there is little to recommend Port Fairy apart from the fact that it is at the end of the Great Ocean Drive. The breakfast next morning was very good. A selection of cereals and fruit followed by whatever you wanted cooked. Having found nothing to detain us in Port Fairy we moved straight onto our next destnation.

Room Tip: Ask for a river view.

Stayed: November 2012, traveled as a couple

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Ask Ann C about Oscars Waterfront Boutique Hotel

Thank Ann C

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Oscars Waterfront hotel is a magnificent large house with huge rooms on the Waterfront at Port Fairy. It is in a beautiful setting directly on the river. Our room which was on the side of the hotel was extremely comfortable and vast. The bathroom was similarly very large and modern. There was a walk-in cupboard with a great deal of space. The view from the side of the room was over the water and was magnificent although we were sorry not to have had a room which directly overlooked the river. The public rooms were very large and had high ceilings as was the hall area, giving an impression of space and airiness. The furniture was very much in-keeping and gave the look of a large country house. There was a beautiful terrace leading onto the boardwalk beside the river where one could sit and have drinks. The hotel is very well situated, being a short walk from the centre of town and near to the beaches. The included full English breakfast was excellent and there was hot coffee and tea available all day.We loved our stay at this lovely hotel and it is a great sadness that the business is for sale. We hope the new owners continue to have it as a hotel and give the same marvellous service and 'feel' that it currently enjoys.

Room Tip: Try to get a room at the front overlooking the river

Stayed: November 2012, traveled as a couple

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Ask DJFLondon about Oscars Waterfront Boutique Hotel

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

We stopped 2 nights at Oscars during our journey from Melbourne to Adelaide. We had already noted the rear car park approach on Google Streetwise but once inside Oscars, the views from the inerior of the hotel over the river are fantastic. We had a river view room on the first floor and to wake up in the morning with the views was fabulous. Breakfast is cooked to order (08.30am on a Sunday and slightly earlier for the rest of the week) and the portions are well presented and generous. It appears that the majority of residents stay only for 1 night; our 2 night stay gave us the opportunity to enjoy the lovely lounge facility and make use of free Wi-Fi whilst enjoying the complimentary cookies. The rooms are tastefully decorated and cleanliness was of the highest standard. It is interesting to note the property is up for sale but hopefully the new owners will maintain the standards.

Room Tip: River view rooms are extra money but a nice touch if staying more than 1 night.

Stayed: November 2012, traveled as a couple

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Ask David C about Oscars Waterfront Boutique Hotel

Thank David C

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

The prestigious property of Oscars Waterfront Boutique Hotel has become a well-known weekend retreat and idyllic destination for national and international tourists alike.Located in the town of Port Fairy at the end of the Great Ocean Road, close to the 12 Apostles, Grampians and Coonawarra wine region, Oscars continues to thrive under continued ownership spanning 14 years....more less

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Also Known As:

Hotel Oscars Waterfront Boutique

Oscars Waterfront Boutique Port Fairy

Oscars Waterfront Boutique Hotel Port Fairy, Victoria

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